Recommendations
To control rats and mice, everyone must make an effort to eliminate sources of rodent food and shelter by following the recommendations:
- Carefully follow all the label directions and precautions for rodenticide (rat / mouse poison) bait. If you use rat traps, bait the trap unset for a few days, then set the trigger. Peanut butter, Q-tip ends, or raisins work well as bait. Place traps against the wall, flat on the floor, with the trigger facing the wall.
- Clean up vegetable gardens.
- Dispose of fallen fruit from trees and shrubs.
- Do not leave pet food out overnight, especially outside.
- If there is a reported rodent infestation in your neighborhood, do not feed wild birds for 2 to 4 weeks. Only use above ground squirrel-proof bird feeders.
- Keep grass cut, especially around sheds and buildings and along fences.
- Regularly work yard waste / compost piles.
- Seal holes in outside walls around pipes and utility lines with concrete or sheet metal collars. Use 1/4 inch mesh galvanized screening (hardware cloth) on attic and crawl space vents and other louvered openings outside (bathroom and stove hood exhaust).
- Store dry pet food and birdseed in covered containers.
- Store firewood and lumber at least 12 to 18 inches off the ground.
- Use 1-inch of gravel to fill in rodent burrows around sheds, concrete slabs, and porch steps.
- Use covered trash containers, not just plastic or paper bags. To eliminate spillage, put garbage out on the morning of the pickup day, not the night before.
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